Cursed By the Moon
by Lady of Gryffindor
Summary: Lord Sasuke has always tried to remain emotionless to keep the beast inside him at bay, but an energetic boy named Naruto manages to wiggle into his heart, and ignites a passion in him that he has worked so hard to control.


**Cursed By The Moon**

**WARNINGS: This story has shonen-ai, male x male pairings in it! It also has mentions of male/female pairings in it! You have been warned…gasps dramatically and faints In other words, if you don't like it, don't read it. Don't complain to me about it! **

**Summary: Lord Sasuke has always tried to remain emotionless to keep the beast inside him at bay, but an energetic boy named Naruto manages to wiggle into his heart, and ignites a passion in him that he has worked so hard to control. When killings start occurring in the village, Sasuke believes it would be best to leave Naruto to better control himself. With the help of a banished witch and disgruntled fox demon, Naruto tries to find a way to cure his love and be with him further. Main Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto with a tiny bit of Kakashi/Iruka, Shikamaru/Ino, and possible Lee/Sakura.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…sobs Thank you for reminding me… **

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Naruto should've known that it was unwise to go out in the woods at that time of night. Unlike the other children, he had no parents to whisper warnings. He had no parents to tell him horror stories of what happened to little ones who broke the curfew laws and actually went there. He also should've known it was foolish to wear such bright orange clothing. The older inhabitants of the village and lands beyond spoke in fear of how bright colors attract the CREATURES OF THE FOREST, bringing them closer to you and you closer to death. Naruto had heard none of these precautions, so he wasn't fully to blame for almost being bitten.

He was six then, all alone and following a stray firefly. He was supposed to be on a nature hike with the other inhabitants of the Konoha Orphanage. He had been left, forgotten. Again. It happened often. Maybe the pretty shining bug would prove to be a more reliable friend.

The tiny creature swerved suddenly, leading into the forest; a forest that reeked of death and darkness. Undaunted, the boy chased after it, leaving the path he was supposed to be on. He had a bad feeling as soon as he was surrounded by the looming trees, yet kept trying to catch the elusive creature. He wasn't going to give up on a potential friend.

He strayed deeper and deeper into the forest. Strange noises echoed from all around him. Low lying branches caused him to trip occasionally, scratching his arms. When he lost sight of the firefly, he truly began to get nervous. Never had he been this far from the orphanage.

Owls cried in the darkening woods…

Which grew darker…

Darker…

Fear smothered him, causing him to collapse to the ground. He didn't know what to do. All alone in an unfamiliar place…

Birds flew from a clearing. A low growl emitted from somewhere close, causing the boy to become alert. He may not have known of the beasts in that area of the woods but his instincts told him danger was approaching. He ducked behind a tree and tried to stay quiet, keeping his breathing to a minimum.

A grey wolf-like creature emerged from the bushes in a nearby clearing. It seemed to be sniffing around for food. Naruto didn't like the look in its eyes. It looked predatory and…hungry. The beast turned around in the boy's direction, causing him to panic and start breathing heavily. The growling increased. It had spotted him.

The child bolted. He knew if he was caught, he would die. If that creature got a hold of him, that was the end. So he ran, ran for his life. But it wasn't enough.

The beast seemed to have exceptional amounts of speed, and caught up to the boy quite easily. It pounced on the child, Naruto screaming all the while. He was going to die, he was going to die! Slashing and blood and everything was blurring together. He blacked out completely and hit the forest earth with a loud thump.

A red glow surrounded the child; stopping the creature from killing the boy completely. Disoriented and angry from the protective energy, the animal reared up and slashed blindly at it. The barrier flickered lightly, but stayed firm. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed in another corner of the woods. Direct contact was impossible because any way he tried, he would get bitten. Even so, the boy would not be lost so easily, especially to one of those half-breeds.

_**Sometime late in another part of the woods**_

Iruka was going back home after a successful day of gathering herbs. Kakashi had broken his leg trying to go fishing (he had told him not to try ever again!), and the herbal remedies were the only one's available. It was rather late, though, and he was starting to worry he would run into something nasty. He checked his pouch again nervously. At least he had a knife.

As fate would have it, the sound of the scuffle startled the man traveling in the forest. He found the unconscious boy fainted near monstrous creature. All rational thoughts left him. Scared out of his wits, the man snatched the boy out of the monster's view while it was distracted. He then ran with the boy in his arms blindly.

A fox slipped into the forest, unnoticed. It was a good thing the man had grabbed Naruto when he had. Even a great demon such as himself didn't have much of a chance against one of _them_. He had barely had time to set up that defensive barrier. He trotted over and peered through the window of the small cottage the man had taken the boy to. He grinned slightly as the child slowly woke up as the man scolded him for being out so late. Kyuubi felt he had left him in good hands.

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The house Naruto had been taken to was small but meticulously cleaned. Not remembering what a real house looked like, it was a whole new experience. The orphanage had been so dirty and grimy! The small house also radiated warmth, another thing he wasn't used to. The orphanage was dark and the kids sometimes had to huddle around each other for heat. Never around him, though. They hated him as well. He was never safe from hatred nor had he been for as long as he could remember.

Iruka set Naruto on a table and cleansed the gashes on his cheeks with a damp cloth. "Well, you won't die but you are likely to have a couple scars. A good tradeoff, if I must say so myself."

The blond looked up to the man who was currently helping him out. "Who are you? And…Why are you being so nice to me?"

The man known as Iruka looked down at him. "The real question is who are you? And why were you traveling around so late at night? Didn't your parents warn you of the dangers?"

Naruto bit his lip, looking uncomfortable at the question. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He looked to the floor suddenly. "I have no parents…"

Iruka felt a sharp pang of sympathy for this boy. He too had known the hurt of loosing his family at a young age. "Oh. I see." He stayed silent after that, studying the boy.

Naruto looked the man straight in the eye. "Ah…I'm sorry for putting you through all this! I won't run in the woods this late at night anymore, promise!" He put a hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "I really don't wanna get in a bunch of trouble, heh! So would you mind not telling anyone over at the orphanage?"

The boy was still smiling after an experience like that? How much other pain had he been through? His internal maternal instinct kicked in. "Well…" Iruka paused for a moment, seeming to consider something. "You could always stay here. If you'd like." Taking in a little boy shouldn't be too much trouble. Besides, it wasn't like he and Kakashi didn't have any room. It'd be nice to have a young face around the house.

"Really?" Naruto's bright blue eyes sparkled in delight. "I've always wanted to live in a real home!"

"Yes, you can stay." Iruka smiled warmly. "Come on, let's finish getting those scratches taken care of and I'll put you to bed. You must be tired after everything that's happened today."

Wait, bed? The boy scowled suddenly. "I don't wanna. I'm not tired yet!"

And so it began.

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**Ten Years Later**

"Now how many times do I have to tell you Naruto, this is for your own good!" Iruka scolded the boy, exasperated.

"My own good? Being forced back into that town is good? Where'd you hear that?" Naruto asked sarcastically, arms folded across his chest, glaring at the man. He had been innocently sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for his breakfast ramen (which he only got once a month by the way), and had thought it was going to be a_ good_ day. Bringing up this again, his guardian had suddenly made this a_ bad_ day. "Iruka, the whole stinking place and all the townspeople hate me!"

The man put a hand on his forehead and sighed, expecting a long battle. "Naruto, I know what you're saying, but you need to make a life for yourself and get a job! You're past the normal age for these things now, and if you want to have any future besides being a hermit, you need to interact with others more. I just want to do what's best for you," Iruka tried to explain.

"I don't care!" the boy cried, jumping up from his seat. "I'll be a hermit, then! I don't like those people, and they don't like me!"

"Listen, you're going even if I have to shove you out the door!" Iruka yelled, causing the boy to flinch. Did Iruka want him to leave that badly? Was he unwanted now?

Naruto looked rather downcast for a moment, and Iruka's expression softened. "Look Naruto, I'm not throwing you out for the sake of throwing you out. I really am worried about you. Besides, you can still visit Kakashi and me whenever you get time off." The blond still looked extremely reluctant, so Iruka added, "You'll get to eat ramen a lot more there than you ever could have here. You could have it everyday instead of once a month if you got a job with a good salary."

He hoped he was really doing what was best. Naruto would have to face the villagers at some point, and he knew that point was now or never. He had no clue why they hated him so much. Naruto would never tell him when asked, and Iruka figured that maybe even Naruto didn't know himself. The one thing he did know was that the longer Naruto stayed with himself and Kakashi, the lower the chances would be of him having a normal life, job, ect. He really needed to get out more, and hanging out with a pair of outcasts wasn't going to help his reputation much.

Kakashi looked over to the duo. "Naruto, stop whining. Iruka's only trying to get you out of the house so we can finally have some privacy. Respect that!" Naruto grinned at Iruka's sudden blush.

Iruka tried to comment, really, but Kakashi had dragged him onto his lap…

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'm tired of watching you and Kakashi make out anyway." Iruka blushed at this, and tried to once again state his true intentions, when Kakashi put a hand over his mouth and arm around his waist, rooting the helpless man in place. "I'll go try to find a job." Naruto walked off.

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In a castle only a few miles away, another teen was having similar growing up problems.

"Lord Sasuke, may I present the lovely and talented Miss Sakura Haruno!" the advisor called in a loud booming voice.

The castle was in complete suspense. This would be their lord's twenty fifth potential wife showing and they had all gathered together for it. The vast majority felt he needed a woman, no matter the curse bestowed upon him. In this way, the occupants thought Sasuke far too noble.

"No," Sasuke muttered under his breath. He didn't see why they still tried to do this. It wasn't as if he could ever have a woman in his…condition. Why did they keep trying?

A pretty girl stepped out from behind a curtain on the small stage area in the hall. Now was her chance…She wasn't going to blow it! The rich and handsome Lord Sasuke would be hers at last! Sakura smiled brightly at the lord, hoping for some sign of consent.

Sasuke scowled bitterly, glaring at the advisor. It was true that this one was quite beautiful with her vibrant pink hair and pretty green eyes, but no amount of beauty could tempt him into letting someone else be endangered by being close to him. They should've known that by now and quit bugging him. Without even a pause or second glance, he gave his customary response, "I do not think this one is fitting to be the lady of the castle."

Sakura gaped at the lord, astonished. She had waited years for this moment, to be shown as a potential wife in front of Lord Sasuke. He had refused her in one second. He had refused her without even speaking one word to her! Was she that ugly? Sakura looked again into Sasuke's dark eyes and saw nothing but coldness and hatred. She ran away, trying to get out of the castle as quick as she could, sobbing.

He watched her leave, feeling only a tiny sliver of sympathy for this girl. She hadn't seemed that bad. At least she hadn't pounced on top of him, like a lot of the others had tried. He had to refuse her though. It was the only way he could control _it_. Having a woman around could conceivably make him loose control, and…He didn't even want to think about it.

Many of the staff members let out collective sighs of disappointment, while the advisor looked up to him, shrewdly. "Lord Sasuke, Miss Sakura was the daughter of a rich and prosperous family. You know the Haruno's? Why refuse such a marvelous offer? You are so cold and distant, so maybe with a woman's touch…And what of an heir?"

Sasuke cut him off, pure iciness in his glare. "You know full well why I am so cold and distant. And you really want me to bring a woman into that? Do you truly wish for me to go on a rampage, possibly killing my own wife in a state of uncontrolled transformation? And an heir? Don't make me laugh. An heir would carry this wretched curse. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I cannot marry; it is for the good of my people."

"I am sorry for speaking in such a rude way," the advisor said, shaking his head sadly. It seemed Sasuke would always be alone…The rest of the castle scuttled away as well, thinking much the same thing. How wrong they were!

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In a hut in the outskirts of the woods, a blond pony-tailed girl gazed into her crystal ball. "Did you see that, Shika? This is getting quite interesting…He flat out refused Sakura-Big-Forehead! Oh, if only I had hidden my magic better, I could be his bride today!" she sighed, putting a hand to her heart. The feline in question gave a very un-catlike snort. "Oh shut up you! What do you know, anyway?"

'A lot more than you…' the dull brown colored cat thought to himself, yawning and stretching out on the tablecloth.

Naruto appeared suddenly in the crystal walking up to the large castle, appearing very out of place. "What's he doing there? Oh, this doesn't bode well at all! My poor darling Sasuke! Why are you showing me this anyway?" the witch ranted, glaring at the orb. The ball twitched a bit, then flickered back and forth from Naruto to Sasuke. "Noo! He's going to attack my baby! I don't care if I've been kicked out of the stupid village! I have to save Sasuke in the name of luuuuuurve!" she cried, knocking the crystal to the floor in her frantic departure, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shikamaru sweat-dropped. Ino most certainly wasn't a very observant witch.

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Naruto knocked on the door, staring wide-eyed at the enormous castle. It was his last chance and the last place he could find a job. If he didn't make a good impression, he was doomed. He really didn't want to go crawling back to Iruka…He'd look stupid. What kind of job was he going to do anyway? He had no obvious talents, uh, unless you counted eating a whole lot of Ramen in one sitting. Oh well! Whatever he ended up doing, he was going to be the best at it!

The doors slowly swung open, revealing a rather mousy looking man in lavish clothes. And this was the apparel of the hired help? This lord guy must've been loaded. He took one look at Naruto and scowled in disgust. Oh boy, _that_ look again. Why did people always think that he deserved such blatant hatred? "Yes? What is it? Hurry up and spit it out."

"I am looking for a job here, sir," Naruto replied, his confidence quickly ebbing away.

The man looked at Naruto again, disgust clearly written on his face. "Sorry. There are no open spaces here," he said harshly, and quickly closed the door.

Naruto sighed, another total rejection. Well, this was great. What was he going to do now? Maybe he would hide out in the woods for a while until he came crawling out to Iruka, making it seem like he had tried super hard, and actually gotten one…No, that wouldn't do it…Darn!

A young serving maid by the name of Hinata had been walking by when she heard the senior servant dismiss the young lad. That boy hadn't looked that bad. In fact…She started blushing madly. The servant must've forgotten that the cook needed a helper. She mustered up all of her courage to go to the door and tell the boy of the job.

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Back at the cottage, Kakashi was having a feeling that something wasn't right. There was a stillness in the air, foretelling something big was going to happen…Oh well! He'd worry about that later. For now, he was going to be content with his arms around his lover, reading his favorite book in the whole world. Whatever was going to happen would happen, and he would deal with it then. Well, unless he was too tired, or a new version of Make-Out Paradise came out…

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**Next Chapter: Naruto's new job! And what the heck is Shikamaru doing as a cat? These questions and more shall be revealed in the next installment of Cursed By the Moon! **

**A/N: If it seems confusing, a lot of the story will be explained later on! Just be patient! Please review, and I shall be very happy and write more very soon…Maybe. I'm lazy, so I shall need bunches of encouragement!**


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